GOPO Unit 2 Terms

Apportionment

the determination of the proportional number of members each US state sends to the House of Representatives, based on population figures

Bipartisanship

agreement or cooperation between two political parties that usually oppose each other's policies

budget deficit

when government spending outpaces revenue or the income drawn from taxes, fees, and investments

budget surplus

when a body (such as the U.S. government) spends less money during an accounting period than it takes in through revenue

Cloture

(in a legislative assembly) a procedure for ending a debate and taking a vote

committee chairs

the parliamentary head of a committee, who sets the committee's agenda

Committee of the Whole

a meeting of a legislative or deliberative assembly using procedural rules that are based on those of a committee, except that in this case the committee includes all members of the assembly

Constituency

a body of voters in a specified area who elect a representative to a legislative body

delegate role

individuals who represent the political interests of a group of people in their state at the Democratic National Convention (DNC) and the Republican National Convention (RNC)

discharge petition

a means of bringing a bill out of committee and to the floor for consideration without a report from the committee by "discharging" the committee from further consideration of a bill or resolution

discretionary spending

government spending implemented through an appropriations bill

divided government

a type of government in presidential systems, when control of the executive branch and the legislative branch is split between two political parties, respectively, and in semi-presidential systems, when the executive branch itself is split between two parties

entitlement programs

a government program that guarantees certain benefits to a particular group or segment of the population

Filibuster

an action such as a prolonged speech that obstructs progress in a legislative assembly while not technically contravening the required procedures

Gerrymandering

manipulating the boundaries of (an electoral constituency) so as to favor one party or class

Hold

An informal practice by which a senator informs Senate leadership that he or she does not wish a particular measure or nomination to reach the floor for consideration

House Majority Leader

the head of the majority party in a legislative body, especially the US Senate or House of Representatives

House Rules Committee

a committee of the United States House of Representatives responsible for the rules under which bills will be presented to the House of Representatives, unlike other committees, which often deal with a specific area of policy

Incumbency

the holding of an office or the period during which one is held

Lame duck period

The time during which a president who has lost an election or has ended a second term is still in office before the new president serves

Logrolling

the practice of exchanging favors, especially in politics by reciprocal voting for each other's proposed legislation

majority-minority districts

an electoral district, such as a United States congressional district, in which the majority of the constituents in the district are racial or ethnic minorities

Malapportionment

the creation of electoral districts with divergent ratios of voters to representatives

mandatory spending

all spending that does not take place through appropriations legislation, including entitlement programs and federal debt interest spending

minority leader

the head of the minority party in a legislative body, especially the US Senate or House of Representatives

national debt

the total amount of money that a country's government has borrowed, by various means

Office of Management and Budget (OMB)

the largest office within the Executive Office of the President of the United States that oversees the implementation of the President's vision across the Executive Branch

Oversight

the review, monitoring, and supervision of federal agencies, programs and policy implementation, and it provides the legislative branch with an opportunity to inspect, examine, review and check the executive branch and its agencies

partisan gerrymandering

redistricting that favors one political party

Political Action Committee (PAC)

a political committee organized for the purpose of raising and spending money to elect and defeat candidates

politico role

a politician or person with strong political views

pork barrel spending

a metaphor for the appropriation of government spending for localized projects secured solely or primarily to bring money to a representative's district

Redistricting

dividing or organizing (an area) into new political or school districts

Speaker of the House

the presiding officer of the United States House of Representatives

trustee role

an individual person or member of a board given control or powers of administration of property in trust with a legal obligation to administer it solely for the purposes specified

unanimous consent agreement

an Agreement on any question or matter before the Senate that sets aside a rule of procedure to expedite proceedings

Veto

a constitutional right to reject a decision or proposal made by a law-making body

Whip

an official of a political party whose task is to ensure party discipline in a legislature

bargaining/persuasion

Setting priorities for Congress and attempting to get majorities to put through the president's legislative agenda

Bully pulpit

a public office or position of authority that provides its occupant with an outstanding opportunity to speak out on any issue

Executive agreement

an international agreement, usually regarding routine administrative matters not warranting a formal treaty, made by the executive branch of the US government without ratification by the Senate

Executive branch

the part of government that enforces law, and has responsibility for the governance of a state

Executive office of the President (EOP)

the offices and agencies that support the work of the president at the center of the executive branch of the United States federal government

Executive order

declaration by the president or a governor which has the force of law, usually based on existing statutory powers

Executive privilege

the privilege, claimed by the president for the executive branch of the US government, of withholding information in the public interest

Formal or enumerated powers

the powers granted to the federal government of the United States by the United States Constitution

Going public

when a company undertakes its initial public offering, or IPO, by selling shares of stock to the public

Impeachment

the process by which a legislative body or other legally constituted tribunal initiates charges against a public official for misconduct

Informal powers of the President

bargaining and persuasion, issuing executive orders, issuing signing statements, negotiating executive agreements-all examples of powers inferred from the Constitution

Pocket veto

an indirect veto of a legislative bill by the president or a governor by retaining the bill unsigned until it is too late for it to be dealt with during the legislative session

Presidential pardon

an expression of the President's forgiveness and ordinarily is granted in recognition of the applicant's acceptance of responsibility for the crime and established good conduct for a significant period of time after conviction or completion of sentence

Signing statement

a written pronouncement issued by the President of the United States upon the signing of a bill into law

State of the Union Address

an annual message delivered by the president of the United States to a joint session of the United States Congress near the beginning of each calendar year on the current condition of the nation

Treaty

a formally concluded and ratified agreement between countries

Veto

a constitutional right to reject a decision or proposal made by a law-making body

War powers resolution

a federal law intended to check the U.S. president's power to commit the United States to an armed conflict without the consent of the U.S. Congress

Appellate jurisdiction

the power to reverse or modify the the lower court's decision

civil law

the law that pertains to persons, things, and relationships that develop among them, excluding not only criminal law but also commercial law, labor law, etc

Concurring opinion

an opinion that agrees with the majority opinion but does not agree with the rationale behind it

Criminal law

a system of laws concerned with crimes and the punishment of individuals who commit crimes

Dissenting opinion

an opinion written by an appellate judge or Supreme Court Justice who disagrees with the majority opinion in a given case

Federal Court of Appeals

reviews cases decided in U.S. District Courts within the circuit

Federal District Courts

the trial courts of the U.S. federal judiciary

Federal Judiciary

the Supreme Court and the lower federal courts that Congress created

Federalist No. 78

Hamilton made two principal points in the essay. First, he argued for the independence of the judiciary from the other two branches of government, the executive and the legislative. In presenting a case for the judiciary, he reached his second major conclusion: that the judiciary must be empowered to strike down laws passed by Congress that it deems "contrary to the manifest tenor of the Constitution."

Judicial activism

how a justice approaches judicial review, where judicial activists abandon their responsibility to interpret the Constitution and instead decide cases to advance their preferred policies

Judicial restraint

the refusal to exercise judicial review in deference to the process of ordinary politics

The living Constitution

the belief that the Constitution of the United States has relevant meaning beyond the original text and is an evolving document that changes over time

Majority opinion

a judicial opinion that is joined by more than half the judges deciding a case

Marbury v Madison

a landmark U.S. Supreme Court case that established the principle of judicial review in the United States, meaning that American courts have the power to strike down laws and statutes that they find to violate the Constitution of the United States

Original jurisdiction

the power to hear a case for the first time, as opposed to appellate jurisdiction, when a higher court has the power to review a lower court's decision

Originalism

a type of judicial interpretation of a constitution (especially the US Constitution) that aims to follow how it would have been understood or was intended to be understood at the time it was written

Precedent

an earlier event or action that is regarded as an example or guide to be considered in subsequent similar circumstances

Stare decisis

the doctrine that courts will adhere to precedent in making their decisions

Supreme Court

the highest federal court in the US, consisting of nine justices and taking judicial precedence over all other courts in the nation

Bureaucrat

an official in a government department, in particular one perceived as being concerned with procedural correctness at the expense of people's needs

Bureaucratic discretion

the authority exercised by members of the bureaucracy (unelected policy experts working within the executive branch) to carry out policy, deciding how it will be implemented

Federal bureaucracy

the unelected, administrative body in the Executive Branch

Federal civil service

the civilian workforce (i.e., non-elected and non-military public sector employees) of the United States federal government's departments and agencies

Implementation

The process of putting a law into practice through bureaucratic rules or spending. administrative discretion

Iron triangle

the idea that committees in the House and Senate, federal departments and agencies, and think tanks and interest groups all work together to develop and conserve their own power, and expand their political influence

Issue network

an alliance of various interest groups and individuals who unite in order to promote a common cause or agenda in a way that influences government policy

Merit system

the process of promoting and hiring government employees based on their ability to perform a job, rather than on their political connections

Pendleton Act of 1883

provided that federal government jobs be awarded on the basis of merit and that government employees be selected through competitive exams

Political patronage

the appointment or hiring of a person to a government post on the basis of partisan loyalty

Regulation

a rule or mechanism that limits, steers, or otherwise controls social behavior

Technocrate

a person with a lot of scientific or technical knowledge who has an important position in a government or in an industry